45 pages • 1 hour read
David EpsteinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Much of Range relies on anecdotes to supply evidence for Epstein’s argument. Do you find this approach convincing? How do anecdotes support his argument? Whether you agree with Epstein’s approach, on what basis might some criticize it?
Range includes examples of individuals and institutions from both contemporary and historical periods. What do you make of this diversity? Does it help or hinder Epstein’s overall argument, and why?
At times, Epstein includes anecdotes from his own life, such as when he describes his struggles on his collegiate track team. Why do you think he included these? What do they add to the book? Is their inclusion successful? Why or why not?
The fields discussed in Range include art, music, space engineering, physics, business, entertainment, education, and more. Do you find the argument of Range applies equally across all of these fields? Why or why not?
Choose one of the fields Epstein critiques for its emphasis on hyperspecialization, such as music, sports, science, and engineering. Discuss some counterexamples that explain the importance of specialization in that field. Can you reconcile Epstein’s argument with these counterexamples? Why or why not?
“Range” is the title of Epstein’s book, but the term is rarely used within the book itself. How would you define “range”? What ideas from the book inform your definition?
Choose a field that is not discussed at length in Range, such as politics, the service industry, retail, construction, law, or finance. What would “range” look like in this field? Would the ideas Epstein encourages lead to success in this field? Why or why not?
Choose a public figure or organization you think would benefit from deploying Epstein’s ideas. How would you explain the argument of Range to this individual or organization, and how would it benefit them?
Describe how the chapters of Range form a whole. What pattern or trajectory do you see in terms of how the chapters are arranged? How do they build a cumulative argument?
Epstein begins Range with examples drawn from sports and refers to sports throughout his book. In addition, he has written a book, The Sports Gene, on the topic. Yet Epstein critiques the hyperspecialization often practiced in athletic training. How might Epstein’s ideas be applied to sports? What changes or effects would follow?
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